The minimalist design trend seems to have started with millennials. They make up over a quarter of the population in the U.S., so some brands started investing in minimalism to attract their attention. But now, the minimalism trend has spilled over into the general population, and all brands should take note.
The “less is more” concept especially makes sense online. Every day, consumers of all ages are bombarded with emails, social media posts, and other online noise. A minimalistic website can cut through that noise, creating a relaxing oasis that shoppers won’t want to leave.
However, there’s much more to “less is more” minimalism. Let’s take a deeper dive into the reasons this design trend is still going strong.
Creates a Beautiful, Neutral Space
Once, brands had to create appealing storefronts to get shoppers through the door. But now, for many brands, your website takes the place of that storefront. You’ll want the space to look beautiful, just like you would if it was a brick-and-mortar store.
Minimalism certainly isn’t the only beautiful design idea. But it is one that resonates well with many people across the board. It’s attractive, but also neutral enough to not alienate most customers.
Many aesthetics have people who love them, and people who hate them. But few people have strong negative feelings about minimalism. At worst, it’s seen as a neutral. At best, it’s seen as beautiful.
Communicates Effectively
Minimalist design strips a website down to the essentials. There might still be decorative elements. But there won’t be the kind of visual clutter that can bury your brand’s message.
On a website, you have just seconds to captivate a user’s attention. If your site is cluttered with many design elements, the user might wander away because your brand message isn’t clear. But with minimalism, the message you want to send stands out immediately.
You can quickly point a site visitor to the action you want them to take next on a minimalist website. With a more complicated design, you’ll lose customers in the time it takes them to figure out what to do next.
Increases Conversions
With that in mind, you can easily see how a minimalist site will help you increase conversions.
Let’s say your goal is to get new people signed up to your email newsletter. However, on your busy site, the “subscribe” box doesn’t stand out against the other elements.
If you change to a minimalist design, you can make that subscribe box one of the only things that shows up on your homepage. With a minimalist design, more people will clearly see what you want them to do and take that action.
Clarifies Your Branding
With “less is more” design, your brand image has nothing to hide behind. Making your site minimalist forces you to narrow down exactly what your brand is and how to visually represent it.
For example, you’ll have to figure out exactly who your target audience is and what you want to communicate with them. You’ll need to know the exact purpose of your site rather than just a vague idea of it.
Every single item on a minimalist site serves a specific purpose. Minimalism leaves no room for error, but that’s actually a good thing since it forces you to refine your branding and message.
Reduces Customer Frustration
If a customer visits a site that’s confusing or difficult to read, they’ll quickly get frustrated. It’s not likely that they’ll push through that frustration to figure out your site. Instead, they’ll probably just head to one of your competitors.
And the next time that customer wants to make a similar purchase, they’re sure to remember that negative experience. You’ll have a hard time getting them back if they remember your site as “the confusing one.”
You already know what you want your customers to do. However, make sure that they don’t get frustrated in the process of doing that. Minimalist design provides a pleasant, seamless experience, so your customers will want to return.
Customer frustration can also result from slow loading times. Minimalism helps with that, too. With fewer elements on the page, your site loads faster, reducing those annoying wait times.
Simplifies Site Maintenance
The “less is more” concept doesn’t just benefit your customers. It also helps you run and maintain your site.
With a complex website, you have lots of plugins, themes, and other elements that need to be regularly updated. This can take a lot of time and also can create a lot of problems. Just one out-of-date plugin can become a security risk, for example.
A minimalist site won’t have nearly so many “moving parts” to worry about. You won’t need to spend so much time navigating updates, compatibility, and other challenges.
Improves Mobile Responsiveness
Today, your website will probably get accessed by phone or other devices more than by laptop. Mobile responsiveness ensures your site looks good no matter what device it’s on. And minimalist design makes responsiveness easier.
On a phone or another handheld device, your entire site needs to fit nicely into a smaller space. A minimalist site has fewer elements on the page, so it’s easier to make them all look good on mobile.
If you’re trying to squeeze too much stuff into a phone screen’s space, it’s not going to look good. But a minimalist site can fit beautifully even on a small screen. And, because you’re working with fewer elements, the process of making your minimalist site responsive is also easier.
Ready to Give Minimalist Design a Try?
If your site doesn’t yet use minimalist design, what are you waiting for? It makes life easier for both you and your customers, so there’s nothing to lose and everything to gain.
With minimalist design, you’ll gain more customers with nothing more than a simple site redesign. Even if you change nothing else about your branding, investing in minimalism alone can make your brand more successful.
However, you don’t have to be an expert in web design to reap these benefits. Why not hire experienced help with creating your minimalistic website? Learn more about our web design services here!